[caption id="attachment_7941" align="alignnone" width="647" caption="The Wandering Palate Must-Have Wines of the Lunar Year - Dragon 2012"][/caption] Admittedly my predilection for pinot noir is perhaps a prejudice in my choice of ‘Red Wine of the Year’ and this sneak preview of my annual retrospective of wine highlights, the Year of the Dragon – 2012. However, the irrefutable fact is, Rippon Mature
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With two clicks on the PayPal, I just downloaded Tim Atkins 2011 Burgundy Special report for a ‘Brown beer token’, that’s £10, a ‘Darwin’ and that’s probably less than a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge.
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This is one wine luncheon you do not want to miss, bringing together one of my favourite vignerons on planet earth, indeed the Wandering Palate Winery of the Lunar Year - Rabbit click here and the wonderful modern European cuisine and warm ambience of Union Dining.
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Last November, 2012, the Family of Twelve, www.familyoftwelve.co.nz a fraternity of 12 of New Zealand’s most successful and enduring artisanal private winemakers visited Singapore. I had the privilege of organizing their programme titled “Twelve reasons to get excited about New Zealand Wines”, which was thoroughly action-packed, as detailed in F12 member, Nigel Greening’s account – click here.
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The wandering Palate is visiting the Marlborough wine region soon, so I thought would share some research on accommodation in the area. Having not stayed at these places, I cannot personally vouch for them, but they do come recommended by local vignerons.
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By all accounts, vintage 2011 was a challenge for most Australia wine growing regions. Phillip Jones is quite forthright about it by describing the conditions at his Leongatha South vineyard as “wet and cold” on the back labels of his current releases.
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"Mutton today, Mutton Yesterday, and blimey if it don't look like mutton tomorrer!" It seems even Hobbit’s have a taste for Pinot Noir... A little news clipping came across my desk from Judy Finn at Neudorf announcing, “Neudorf Tom’s Block Pinot Noir 2010 has been selected for the world premiere of Sir Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit”. The wine will be
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From a lost play by Eubulos, (c.405 BC - c.335 BC)
‘For sensible men I prepare only three kraters (large vase used to mix wine): one for health (which they drink first), the second for love and pleasure, and the third for sleep. After the third one is drained, wise men go home.

The fourth krater is not mine any more - it belongs to bad behaviour; the fifth is for shouting; the sixth is for rudeness and insults; the seventh is for fights; the eighth is for breaking the furniture; the ninth is for depression; the tenth is for madness and unconsciousness.’

The Wandering Palate - Curtis Marsh
With nearly 30 years experience in the hospitality, wine and media industries, Curtis Marsh is one of the most erudite, passionate and truly independent wine writer, commentator and presenter in Asia.

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.

But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defence of the new.”

As uttered by the vitriolic restaurant critic Anton Ego, in the film “Ratatouille”, after his epiphany.